#MeToo: Women and men flood social media with stories of sexual abuse

People globally are sharing sexual abuse stories with #MeToo, and it's making us sad and angry. The #MeToo movement has become a rallying cry on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook for people - both men and women - to take a stand against sexual harassment, abuse and assault.

Charmed actor Alyssa Milano tweeted, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” The hashtag #MeToo has now become a global social media movement against sexual harassment. (Source: Thinkstock Images)

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal that has been dominating headlines globally, there is a social media movement that is calling out to those who have been sexually abused to speak out – in two simple words: Me too. The American film producer has been accused of sexual harassment by many A-list female actors in Hollywood, causing others to come out and share their experiences as well. So much so that Oscars board removed Weinstein from its panel.

On Sunday, Charmed actor Alyssa Milano tweeted a note saying, “Suggested by a friend: If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote “Me too” as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” Along with the tweet, she added, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” This opened a floodgate of response that has now spread across the world. Not only did celebrities respond to her tweet, but women and men from around the world are joining in.

The #MeToo movement has become a rallying cry on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook for people – both men and women – to take a stand against sexual harassment, abuse and assault.

Soon thousands joined in with their personal stories. At the time of writing, the hashtag had more than 200,000 tweets. While some talked about being groped on the bus or on a busy street, other spoke up about being sexually abused by family members and ‘friends’. Here are some of the stories being shared.